SEC Media Day: Hot Topics

Where's the star power

The SEC is not exactly lacking in returning stars, but you would not know it from the list of players invited to Hoover this week. There's no Honey Badger (LSU Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu), and Alabama's A.J. McCarron, Georgia's Aaron Murray and South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore were left at home. It's an opportunity for new faces to grab the spotlight, or for the media to phone home.

First-time visitors

Welcome to the SEC, Texas A&M and Missouri. And welcome to the big-time, A&M's Kevin Sumlin, Arkansas' John L. Smith and Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze (all first-year coaches in the conference). Respect your opponents, but don't pretend to like them; you're happy to be here and just so excited for the season; oh, and dodge any questions about riding a Harley-Davidson. You'll do fine.

Who's going to win No. 7?

The SEC has made it six BCS championships in a row and is showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. So who are the favorites heading into the preseason? Start with the two who faced off in the championship game last season, Alabama and LSU. Both have reloaded for another run. And do not forget about Georgia, which has a far easier walk through the SEC East than its peers to the West.

Stir the pot

Steve Spurrier sure could ruffle the SEC feathers in the 1990s, but that died down when CEO-like coaches moved into town in the 2000s. Times, however, are changing and there are several brash and outspoken candidates who could take the Ol' Ball Coach's throne, including Mississippi State's Dan Mullen. The stage, though, appears to be set for Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, whose smooth and confident delivery won over reporters last year. After reaching a bowl game and winning a couple of recruiting wars against in-state Tennessee, the coach is not afraid to puff out his chest and boast, so why not step up the trashtalk a notch on the big stage?

Hot seats aplenty

It might be make-or-break time for three coaches. John L. Smith's 10-month contract at Arkansas, where even winning the school's first BCS game may not be enough to make him Bobby Petrino's permanent replacement, places him on the hottest seat. Joining him are a pair at the SEC East crossroads: Kentucky's Joker Phillips and Tennessee's Derek Dooley. Both own 11-14 records in their first two seasons and their third year at their respective schools appear to be bowl-or-bust last calls.

What beat writers Hugh Kellenberger and Brandon Marcello think people will be talking about at SEC Media Days over the next three days in Hoover, Ala: